I really don't appreciate those claims. How could anyone know what could occur between now and next year? The world of cycling is an ever moving, fast flowing machine and what Nibs wants now is very possibly not what he will want 7 months down the line.

I hope he isn't being pressured by Vino and Astana into doing the Giro to win a GT and get a big result (as the competition at the Tour next year with Froome, Contador and Nairo.. is super tough). I also hope he doesn't become a rider who finishes his career with five or more Grand Tour wins, but yet none at the Tour. He is better than that imo and that would have a bitter sweet taste to it for all.

I would assume it is not the team, there is no way they would wan't him to do that, especially with Aru doing so well, there is no way Nibali will target both those races, Aru or Fuglsang (Is leaving) without racing the Giro would beat Nibali coming off the Giro at the Tour I think. The most logical thing seems to split leadership between Aru and Nibali at the GT's and maybe even give the Vuelta to Kangert too. It is a claim like Contador's I'll ride the Vuelta, no way Bjarne would wan't that either imo.

I hope he isn't being pressured by Vino and Astana into doing the Giro to win a GT and get a big result (as the competition at the Tour next year with Froome, Contador and Nairo.. is super tough). I also hope he doesn't become a rider who finishes his career with five or more Grand Tour wins, but yet none at the Tour. He is better than that imo and that would have a bitter sweet taste to it for all.

It's a difficult one. I agree that a second Giro win would add less to his palmares than a win at the Tour, plus the Tour is better to combine with an Ardennes classics peak. But winning the Tour against top-form Contador, Froome and Quintana will require something special. In a normal race of MTFs and ITTs he won't succeed in that, it will require a combination of downhill finishes, long-range attacks, hilly stages, and/or bad conditions. Or all three others being out of form / suspended / injured.

Aiming for one or two more Giro's on the other hand would be much more likely to succeed. And three Giro's but no Tours is a lot bette palmares than one Giro and four Tour podiums. Also, the Giro is Nibali's home race so it makes sense he wants to ride it. And not to forget that the rainbow jersey, Lombardia, LBL and MSR are all big goals for Nibali. Nibali needs to make the most of the years he still has left as a top rider, and going for that small chance of winning the Tour might not be the best use of that time.

The Spaniard confirmed BiciCiclismo its schedule for the first part of the season: Tour Down Under, Tour of Murcia, Almeria Classic, Vuelta a Andalucía, Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, Giro del Trentino and Liege before tackling the Giro Italy. And will not lack in Puerto Banus, the output of the Tour of Spain.

A consequence of my broken ankle that is dragging on longer than I had hoped is the inability to drive. Tendons still too rusty and stiff to be confident that I would get pedals to respond as I want every time. While colleagues have been very helpful, literally going out of their way to get me to and from work, I have sometimes had to resort to buses. And it was on the bus today that I overheard something I thought I never would: a harassed mother trying to stifle a shout of "Just sit still, Astana!"

From her accent, I don't think she was a homesick Khazakstani who had named her child after her home city, so is there a father in the background who is a devoted Vino fan, or just another chavvy family trying to come up with an original sounding name to haunt their child for a lifetime?

It was said in today's TV coverage of the FW that there are reports that Nibali will race in Il Giro this year after all. I couldn't find info on this - is it confirmed anywhere? I remember 2013 he was a late announced starter for the Vuelta that Horner eventually won. I guess there may be a nice payment just for showing up, as Nibali is quite popular in Italy.

He shook his head sadly and told me that endemic drug use had compelled him to give up a promising career. "Even one small local race, prize was a salami, and I see doping!" - Tim Moore: Gironimo (Riding the Very Terrible 1914 Tour of Italy)

I doubt he'll be in good enough shape to do anything but finish top 10

Why so? He's just come off a month training block and it's shown.He's looked pretty good this week and has Romandie up next.That's 25 days racing at over 4000kms.Bertie will not have turned a pedal in anger for 6 weeks, come Giro depart, having competed a week and a thousand km less.

Can't be that much difference in conditioning, unless there is something magical about training over racing, these days.

Uhm, maybe because Nibali has been crap so far and has been building towards a peak for the Tour? Feel bad for Aru though, he'll lose his shot at a podium because Nibali, 2 weeks before the start of the Giro, has decided he wants to do the double which he's never going to manage.Martinelli: " only three days at the Giro matter" boy is Nibali going to have a fun time against Alberto with that mindset

I think Nibali looked very weak yesterday to be honest, I expected him to attack on the penultimate climb, but he just wasn't able to. He couldn't even follow Wellens when he went clear, let alone create a gap himself.

He could still come in shape for the Giro though, but I don't really think his current form is a good indicator to come to any kind of conclusion

About Aru...if he is in hospital right now, and already announced to be unable to do Romandie a week before it starts, I don't really expect him to be a factor in the Giro anyway - no matter if Nibali is there or not.

not exactly crap, but he has been attacking left and right since Oman two months ago. By now I expected him to be able to come close to fight for the win at least

From the bits I have seen of the recent classics where Nibali has been, I think he's had the strength and form to do more than he has. Tactics, on the other hand...

Well maybe we should give him credit for trying to make a break work, rather than leaving it to the last climb like Gilbert/Matthews/Kwiato/Costa/Valverde/EVERYONE ELSE!!!

Or maybe we should laugh at him because with those 5+ and their teams definitely not working in a break (a la Panzer in AGR), he should realise there is no chance.

I can't remember if this is the Dark Side Astana thread or not, so I can't really say anything about Aru vs. Nibali at the Giro. But in terms of their chances against the rest of the field...

Aru recovering from illness[1] or Nibali making a late switch without a dedicated training focus[2] vs. Contador who has set it as a target or Richie Porte who is currently tearing around Trentino like a ...

Although - Nibali is currently on 20 race days since Dubai; Contador is on 19 since Andalucia (which started after Dubai, and at which time Nibali was in Oman). Richie Porte has currently completed 33 race days

I think Nibali looked very weak yesterday to be honest, I expected him to attack on the penultimate climb, but he just wasn't able to. He couldn't even follow Wellens when he went clear, let alone create a gap himself.

He could still come in shape for the Giro though, but I don't really think his current form is a good indicator to come to any kind of conclusion

Considering the way he built up last year for the Tour so very carefully and with an almost perfect peak... His form in the Dauphine was way off, but by the Tour he was perfect. He seems to following the almost exact same schedule this year around so I don't expect anything special at this point in time. He should be solid though, considering his block of training.

He's all geared up for Liege, but the priority is definitely the Tour (obviously). I think he started his training camp at Teide earlier this year apparently to allow for better form at Liege.

From Martinelli:

Quote

La Doyenne, on paper, is where Nibali is at his strongest, where he took a memorable second place in 2012 following a gutsy late lone attack that only fell apart on the final ascent to Ans. And Martinelli confirmed that Nibali will be building up in the first two Ardennes Classics “so his confidence is at 100 per cent for Liege. It’s only by being in these one-day races right from the word go that you feel at ease when it matters.”

That said, as Martinelli agrees, Nibali is not yet at peak condition. “His form is still a little bit off 100 per cent, because he wants to be at 100 per cent for the Tour de France. Whenever Nibali starts a race, you can’t ever rule him out of finding a way through [to success]. But he’s still building towards the second part of the season. I think we’ll have a good Nibali at the Tour de Romandie” - his next stage race after the Ardennes - “where he’ll be at 90 per cent of his top condition.”

“Liege-Bastogne-Liege suits him the best. And he’ll be in good condition for that. Amstel’s a bit tricky for him, [because] it’s not as tough [a race].”

It wasnt that he was so focussed on the Tour that he didnt try at any other races. He still rode the Oman/Qatar race (one of them), he was going for GC at Paris Nice, he rode and tried hard at MSR, he rode and tried in the Ardennes, he rode Romandie and the Dauphine - and he was riding all of these races to win.

He got a letter from Vino because his form was so bad and they were expecting him to do better.

Its not that he wasnt trying, he just wasnt up there (for whatever reason )

His form turn around from the Dauphine where he was considerably outridden by Andrew Talansky when the race was there to be won on the last stage ... to stage 2 of the Tour where he outsprinted everyone on a hilly finish worthy of Gilbert ... was remarkable.

Nibbles for all his faults usually tries at all these races. He rides from Paris Nice / Tireno right through to Lombardia ... and he rides attacking races and tries to win.

I wouldnt be surprised if he does ride the Giro (not sure that he is ... prepared ... as might be necessary for him to dominate the Giro, but I wouldnt be surprised if he rides it.